i like them together, but it seemed like the split was really effective against chicago. i think the only thing that gets me a bit iffy is splitting the 3rd line. those guys were so terrifically effective, even when they weren't getting on the scoreboard. as long as babcock keeps giving them minutes... but meh. it would be really difficult to argue with anything he does with the lines next year.

i'd love to get lecavalier, the more i think about it. i don't much care for most of the other FAs, but i think he'd be terrific, even as a one year rental.

The lines will change regularly thoughout the season. Hank and Pav should be playing together during the regular season, IMO. You can worry less about matchups until the playoffs. If Helm is healthy, he's the third line center, so I don't think Brunner and Nyquist would remain with Andersson, who will definitely center the fourth line.

this guy goes pretty in depth about the fallacy of drafting defensive defensemen high in the draft. only 12 defensemen who posted less than 0.5 ppg in their draft year out of 105 made the NHL and play on a daily basis. the top ranked chl defensemen this year (imo that are projected to go in the top 3 rounds) that averaged less than 0.5 ppg in their draft year are:

the only ones i would draft in the top 3 rounds would be zadorov, heatherington, and bowey. zadorov's point totals will increase above 0.5 ppg probably next year and you also have to remember this his first year in north america. he's going to get a lot better and is probably my favorite defenseman in the draft behind seth jones.

heatherington is the only true defensive defenseman i see worth using a pick on this early. he has elite vision and hockey iq, and also is physical and good with his stick in the defensive zone. to me he is essentially a more physical marc-edouard vlasic, and some team is going to get a good player when they draft him.

bowey is an interesting case because like the writer mentioned, he's a very good skater and has a strong presence in the offensive zone. i'm expecting his offensive input to increase strongly though next year, just like zadorov.

samuel morin is going to be a giant bust especially in the first round. santini will never sniff the nhl. geertsen, lewington, and kanzig i wouldn't touch before the 5th round probably and will likely be lifelong minor leaguers unless they develop a different aspect of their game besides being big and physical. kostalek, diaby, and thompson would be in my 2nd tier i guess, because they do have an offensive aspect to their game, it's just not very good right now.

Not 100 per cent yet but looks like Nathan Horton will NOT be back with BOS. B's talking trade and Tyler Seguin's name has been discussed.

Link? I really hope they don't move Seguin. He was a disappointment last season and in in playoffs, but players with his offensive skill don't come along everyday, and especially not for teams who're going to be picking in the 20's for the near future. He's a terrible fit for the B's system, but at 21 he's a great playmaker and a competent defender. Maybe he's not nearly 6 per year, but he's damn near close, and if he can start winning in the corners every now and then the very real possibility still exists that he could become the franchise cornerstone.

Buyout Peverley and trade Kelly to clear space. Spooner and Soderberg should be ready to take on their roles anyway for much cheaper.

Not the most surprising news with the numbers you're hearing for Bergeron and Rask. Not saying he'll come cheap but Seguin could be an absolute coup for some team. Peverley would also be interesting to see somewhere else but I don't know if they go for a buyout. It's looking like they'll be plenty active before free agency, though, so you never know.

Sounds like its just a matter of time before Halak is traded away. Which I'm not sure how i feel about. I mean we definitely need goal scoring, just not sure how I'd feel about Elliott/Allen as our goaltenders

It'd be nice if Marc Savard would just ******* retire (still counting $4m every year).

Trading Seguin sucks, but it makes sense. If you can get the kind of package you should be able to get for a young star (Kessel package or better) who doesn't exactly fit your system... Kind of have to. Spooner's ready to come up and they can reload their farm system and extend their window of opportunity.

It'd be nice if Marc Savard would just ******* retire (still counting $4m every year).

Trading Seguin sucks, but it makes sense. If you can get the kind of package you should be able to get for a young star (Kessel package or better) who doesn't exactly fit your system... Kind of have to. Spooner's ready to come up and they can reload their farm system and extend their window of opportunity.

They're going to have him on LTIR so he doesn't count against the cap.